Sheet feeding mechanism



Oct. 29, 1.940. G g gsg JR Y 2,219,892

SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 9, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M g, IATIDZJRK"% 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

G. A. GIBSON. JR

SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 9, 1939 I T QN Patented Oct. 29, 1940 UNITED STTE TENT me 2,219,892 A SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM' George A. Gibson, J12, New York, N. Y. Application September 9, 1939, Serial No. 294,046 3 Claims. (chm-49) The present invention relates to feeding and registering, mechanism for handling paper sheets, envelopes and the like.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in :part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefro or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, cone structions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a typical and illustrative embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detailed fragmentary sectional View taken transversely of the feeding device on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detailed section taken on the line 44 of Figure 3.

The object of this invention is to provide a conveyor and registering device of simple construction, easily and accurately movable for width: of stock and lateral position with reference to the printing, folding or other machine to which blanks are being fed one at a time. I

Further objects of my invention therefore are to provide convenient means of setting guides, tapes, idlers and other registering means to accommodate the width of the blank and into the approximately correct lateral position for printing or folding, etc.; to provide screw adjusting means of moving this entire set-up of cooperating registering means into exact lateral position as desired; and to provide means whereby all tapes effectually actuate the blank to points equally near the receiving parts of the printing or other machine.

A further object is to provide a pivotally mounted side guide, an obliquely running tape, and adjustable idlers, all mounted so as to be transversely movable as a unit.

This application is in part a substitute for my abandoned application October 10, 1936.

Referring now in detail to the illustrative embodiment of the invention as shown by the draw- Ser. No. 105,141, filedings, "the blanks are placed in hopper l and fed one at a time between feed roller 2 and separator 3 to the coacting pull-out rolls 4 and 5 drivenby belt on pulley 6. Lower pull-out'roll 5 is fixed to driven shaft 1 running in bearings fixed in side platesiil and H. The upper pullout roller 4 runs on a shaft carried by the arms l2 which are under tension of springs it, all being supported by'the cross rod M carried'by the plates l5v bolted to the side plates Ill and ii. 10 The pull-out rolls pass the blank on to the obliquely running tapes'lfi, H, l8 and I9, which pass around theroller 20 mounted in the side plates in the same manner as the lower pull-out roller 5. This tape driving roller 26 is driven 15 from the pull-out roller 5.through the chain 2!v and sprockets fixed to these rolls. As soon as the blank is free from' the pull-out rolls, it is carried by the obliquely running tapes toward the guide 22 as well as toward the delivering end 20 tapes are supported by means of the idler pul- 30 leys 26 which have their axes inclined with reference to the roller 2!! but normal to the run of the tapes, these rollers being supported by means of the arms 27 which project forwardly from and may be integralvwith the. brackets 23 35 or 29, while the rearwardly projecting portion of the arms 2'! is supported by means of the cross rod 21' on which they are slidable. 1

Underneath each of the channels 21 forming. the tape supports is supported an idler 3t hav- 40 ing vertical axis and rotatably mounted on the arms 3| which extend rearwardly for a considerable distance and are pivotally supported on the rear endsof arms 21 by means of bolts 32 so as to bear against the lowerv reach of the tapes and deflect the corresponding tape and insure its continued running at an oblique angle over the pulley 26.

Brackets 28 and 29 are mounted for move- '60 ,for lateral movement of the bracket 23.

rod 35, the rod being secured therein by means of the nuts 38 on its threaded ends.

Means are provided for laterally shifting the frames and the supported brackets 28 and 29, together with the associated idler pulleys 26 and 30, and the tapes |6, l1, l8 and i9 and comprise a screw-threaded member 46 passing through a knurled nut 4| which is freely rotatably mounted in the side frame member H and held against axial movement, one end of the member 40 being securely fastened to the upper end portion of the strap 31. Means are also provided for securely holding the frame and comprise the guideproject from the strap rods 42, 43 and M which 31 through suitable guiding apertures in the frame members Ill and H. By turning the nut 4|, the complete feeding assembly (except driving roller 20) may be shifted'transversely of the sheet and held in any desired position...

Means are also provided for accurately registering the side of the sheet as it is fed forwardly by the tapes. For this purpose a U-shaped guide channel 22 which is relatively thin in a vertical direction and is of gradually narrowing width forwardly of the sheet travel is provided at the side of the feeding device, and as the sheets are moved forwardly and slightly towards the channel due to the oblique run of the tapes, the edge of the sheet is forced into the channel so 'as'to cause the sheet to be fully registered before it is fed from the feeding means.

Guide channel 22 is pivotally mountedon a plate 46 by means of the screw 48 and is supported on bracket 28 so that it has angular movemerit with respect to the run of the belt l9, and means are provided for minutely angularly moving the guide and holding it in the desired position so that it can be accurately positioned. These means comprise a bar 58 secured 46 and thereby to bracket 28, extending rearwardly of the bracket 28, preferably along the closed edge of the guide channel 22, and at its rear edge bar 5| isprovided with a thumb screw 53 threaded into block 5-! secured to-the bar, the other end of the thumb screw passing through an aperture in the upstanding edge of the guide 22 and provided with an enlarged portion 56 by which the guide maybe angularly moved against compression of spring 51. Means are also provided for minutely laterally moving bracket 28, guide 22, tape l9 and the associated parts. As embodied, bracket 28 is laterally slidable on cross rod 35, and rod is formed as a rack for a portion of its length. This rack portion is adapted to cooperate with the toothed end 60 of shaft 5| journalled in the bracket 28, and a knurled wheel 62 is fixed to the upper end of shaft 6| so as to facilitate turning the shaft A set screw 65 serves to secure the bracket 28 rigid with tending parallel to to plate respect to tie rod 36, and the other brackets 29, while set screw 66 serves to hold the shaft 6| against rotational movement. Tie rod 36 also serves to transmit this lateral movement to the other brackets 29 so as to move them a corresponding amount, but bracket 28 may be moved alone by loosening its set screw 85 so that as hand wheel 62 is turned the other brackets 29 are not shifted. Also, the brackets 29 can be shifted by bodily movement without moving bracket 28 by loosening the proper set screws 65.

Means may also be provided for holding the sheets against fluttering as they are fed forwardly, and these means comprise the angle pieces ill exand above the tapes from a point adjacent the roll 4 to the pulleys 26. These pieces 10 are each provided with a hanger 12 by which they are supported onthe cross straps l3 fixed to the side plates l0 and 1|, and at their forward ends are fixed to a clamp M by which they are secured in the desired lateral position by means of the transversely extending laterally movable strap 3'! so that they may always remain above the tapes even when the feed mechanism is laterally shifted by the turning of the knurled nut 4|.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In a sheet conveyor, a side guide, a plurality I of individual belt-like tapes running in a direction oblique to said guide, a roller for driving the tapes and pulleys inclined with respect to the roller and over which the tapes run, and a laterally movable frame on which the pulleys are rotatably mounted for varying the run of the tapes.

2. In, a sheet conveyor, a side guide, a plurality of individual belt-like tapes running in a direction oblique to the guide, pulleys over which the tapes run, a laterally movable frame on which the pulleys are rotatably mounted in an inclined position for varying the run of the tapes, and means for driving the tapes in any of their lateral positions.

3. In a sheet conveyor, a side guide, means for forwarding a sheet past and against the guide, comprising a frame, means for laterally moving the frame, driven belts carried by the frameand movable therewith and a roller with respect to which the frame is laterally movable for driving said belts, said guide comprisinga pivoted member also carried by the frame and means for pivotally moving the guide.

GEORGE A. GIBSON, JR. 

